Rosedale's Revolution Hall is Closing After Less Than a Year

By Nancy Weingartner Monroe

No signs announcing that Revolution Hall is closed, but the food hall space is getting measured for the next idea.

It showed so much promise. Media toured the brand new shiny revolutionary Revolution Hall at Rosedale Center in Roseville in 2018 prior to its official opening the week before the infamous Black Friday, retail’s biggest shopping day that follows Thanksgiving.

The 11 original fast-food concepts, such as Angry Taco and PieCaken, were developed by Craveable Hospitality Group out of New York City with the intent of rolling out similar food halls in other cities. The food was good for fast food, the décor fun, but the two-story hall was pretty much empty the half dozen or so times I revisited. The only time I saw a crowd was on a Sunday morning in winter when the mall was open to dog walkers. And we all know dog owners like to bring their dogs out to eat. Malls are a hard sell these days as more consumers are turning to home delivery of both clothing and meals.

The times I met people there for lunch or coffee, we pretty much had the place to ourselves. No one was sitting at the whiskey bar, playing pool or pointing to the produce they wanted in their salad. It was cashless, with ordering on tablets and I’m not convinced that works for everyone. (A similar set up at the Twins stadium made ordering food take longer, not the express experience they promised.) In an empty restaurant space, ordering via tablet seemed cold to me.

But it was still a surprise to see the media release sent out today (July 9) by the center saying the food hall was closing immediately. The spin was positive:

“For us, Rosedale Center acts as an idea incubator, and a retail experience laboratory. Our customers have come to expect unexpected retailers, dining and entertainment from us. In closing Revolution Hall, we will now be able to satisfy the demand for an engaging customer experience,” said Lisa Crain, general manager of Rosedale Center. “We are excited to develop an innovative experience that celebrates our local food and beverage community that we know our guests will love.”

What that experience will be is still under wraps, as well as the timeframe for reopening. The release said to look for updates on Facebook and Instagram.

Until that time shoppers will have to be content with the row of sit-down restaurants between the center and the movie theater, the restaurants inside the mall and dotting the surrounding retail real estate, plus the inside snacking centers, such as Auntie Anne’s Pretzels. Let’s hope they’re picking up some of the sales that did go to Revolution.